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Geisler, Kurt Karl

Date of birth:
January 28th, 1914 (Hennersdorf/Silesia, Germany)
Date of death:
September 6th, 1943 (Hawstead/Suffolk, Great Britain)
Buried on:
German War Cemetery Cannock Chase
Plot: 1. Row: 12. Grave: 465.
Nationality:
German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Biography

Kurt Geisler was killed when his plane was shot down near Hawstead after a flight to Cambridge.

05.1941: Oberleutnant and transport pilot during the invasion of Crete
01.07.1941: promoted to Hauptmann
12.1942 - 17.02.1943: Hptm and Kdr. Transportgruppe Lw.Kdo. Don
15.06.1943: Staka - 3./ SKG 10
30.07.1943 - 07.09.1943: Hptm and Kdr. I./ SKG 10
06/07.09.1943: KIA during a fighter-bomber raid on Cambridge when his Fw 190 A-5 Werknummer 840006 crashed at Hawstead / Bury St Edmunds after diving through low cloud cover to evade a 85th Sqdn. Mosquito night fighter
01.08.1944: officially listed as MIA
Pilot credited with c.310 combat missions. Buried at Cannock Chase

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)
Unit:
Gruppenkommandeur
Awarded on:
February 1st, 1943
Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)
Unit:
Kommandeur, Lufttransportgruppe Don, Luftwaffen-Kommando Don, Luftwaffe
Awarded on:
January 24th, 1943
During the fighting in the southern sector of the Eastern front in late 1942, an ad-hoc Kampfgruppe under the command of Oberstleutnant Tyroller found itself in the middle of the Soviet onslaught. Consisting of about 2000 men (from 65 different units), they were charged with holding the town of Kantemirovka on the middle Don. Though they were able to defeat every Soviet assault on their strongpoint, they could not stop the enemy from bypassing and encircling their position. Precarious as their situation was, they had one major advantage in that they possessed an airfield within the perimeter of the pocket.

Hauptmann Geisler and his Lufttransportgruppe Don were thus tasked with the resupply of Kampfgruppe Tyroller. For four weeks long the Gruppe managed to keep the aerial supply chain open, permitting the Kampfgruppe to conduct a successful defense of their positions. However after a month of fighting, in view of the overall situation in the south, the position became untenable. In light of the near-impossibility of a breakout, Hitler had the idea of evacuating the entire pocket by air, a task which once again fell to Geisler and his transport pilots.

Over the course of three nights, and despite the difficult winter conditions, the Gruppe was nonetheless able to accomplish their mission. A total of 1957 men were flown out to safety. In recognition of his Gruppe’s achievements in both the aerial resupply and evacuation of Kampfgruppe Tyroller, Geisler would be awarded the Knight’s Cross.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Sources

Photo